Can Kentucky find its own Nick Saban?

al.comNick Saban is restoring Alabama football to its proud standards of the past. Who can Kentucky hire to do the same for its basketball program?

In 2006 when Alabama fired Mike Shula, the most breathless hyperbole screamed that it was do-or-die for the Crimson Tide football program.

Alabama needed Nick Saban -- or a Nick Saban-type coach -- to rescue the program or forever surrender its proud history to a mediocre present.

And over the years, you've seen this sort of New Math:

Alabama football = Kentucky basketball.

So will UK find its own Nick Saban? Or does the Wildcat program need such mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?

From here, Kentucky needs its Saban. Badly.

Kentucky is college basketball's all-time winningest program, although North Carolina -- if it wins the national title (we hope) -- will close within just four wins.

Kentucky this season had as many wins in the NIT (two) as it has had over its past three NCAA tournament appearances. The Wildcats haven't been to the Final Four since winning the title in Tubby Smith's first season in 1998.

For comparison, Florida has been to three Final Fours since then and LSU (LSU?!?) has been to one.

Kentucky is rich in history (like Alabama), has an outstanding fan base (like Alabama) and unlimited resources (like Alabama). But, like Alabama before Saban's hiring, Kentucky has become the poster child of ordinary.

It's much the same with Auburn football. After a proven winner in Tommy Tuberville left, the Tigers needed someone to recapture AU's better days. And that's why all the angst over the hiring of an unproven commodity in Gene Chizik.

Chizik may prove himself an outstanding coach, may well win multiple SEC and national titles at Auburn. Critics may one day laugh at Chizik's 5-19 record at Iowa State and marvel at how bad the Cyclone program must have been to overwhelm Chizik's genius.

For now, though, Kentucky needs less guesswork and more certainty. Kentucky needs its own Nick Saban.

But is Kentucky's Saban out there?

APTennessee women's coach Pat Summitt during her 1000th career win earlier this year. Kentucky could do a lot worse than hiring her.

Don't forget the perfect storm that threw Alabama and Saban together -- the convenient opening at a prestige school reaching out to a coach who was looking for a soft landing for his escape from the Miami Dolphins.

Is there someone else who could be Kentucky's Nick Saban? It's clear that Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart's job depends on finding him (or her. Should Tennessee's Pat Summit be excluded from the search strictly because of gender?)

Kentucky needs its own Nick Saban. But does Kentucky's Nick Saban -- whoever he or she may be -- need Kentucky?